Several demos and live shows survive from 1981, including their infamous first concert "Sabbath of all witches" held in early/mid 1981.
In early 1982, the band contributed to the Ebony Records sampler Metallic Storm. Later on in the year, Mercyful Fate recorded its first official release, Mercyful Fate, on vinyl for the Dutch label Rave On. The release included heavy and evil material that would later inspire the black metal genre (although Venom and Bathory are as equally considered as the forefathers of black metal).
Following the EP, the band released Melissa in 1983 and Don't Break the Oath in 1984, which are now considered by many to be classics in both the power metal and black metal genres. Following the tour (which saw them play in the United States for the first time) in support of Don't Break the Oath, Diamond split ways with Mercyful Fate in April 1985 as a result of frustration over creative differences with Hank Shermann. With him, Diamond brought band mates Hansen and Denner to found a new band under his own name. Diamond's new venture continued the tradition of Mercyful Fate, but with a more progressive, conceptual twist to it. In response, Hank Shermann formed the band Fate, which pursued a more AOR direction.
Reunion
In July 1992, the band reformed and signed a contract with Brian Slagel's Metal Blade Records. All the original members without Kim Ruzz (replaced by Morten Nielsen) reformed and released In the Shadows in 1993. The album featured a re-recording of "Return of the Vampire", with Metallica drummer and Mercyful Fate enthusiast Lars Ulrich playing on the track. In the years since, the band has released four other albums, with the last being 9. Similar to the band's first run, members have left and been replaced; Michael Denner left and was replaced by Mike Wead, Drummer Nielsen was later replaced by Snowy Shaw who was then replaced by Bjarne Holm, Bassist Timi Hansen left quickly and was replaced by Sharlee D'Angelo. Following the release of 9 (1999), King Diamond put Mercyful Fate on hold and continued his solo career. Shermann, Denner, Holm and (King Diamond Bass player) Hal Patino formed Force of Evil, which incorporates many of the themes of the original Mercyful Fate.
In a March, 2008 interview, King Diamond stated that Mercyful Fate is currently "hibernating", but had never split up. Though he does not know when the band will become active again, he said "It's definitely not finished, at least in my book.". With the Re-union in 1993, the same lineup returned for the album and European tour, with the exception of Drummer Kim Ruzz, who was replaced by Snowy Shaw. Bassist Timi Hansen also left after the European leg of the tour, and was replaced by Sharlee D'Angelo.
The Lineup remained the same for "Time" and "Into the Unknown". Snowy Shaw was then replaced by Bjarne Holm on drums.
Unfortunatley, Michael Denner had also parted ways with the band at this point, to stay with his wife and family. His replacement was Mike Wead, who recorded with the band for "Dead Again" As well as "9" and has proven to be a sufficient replacement for Michael Denner.
Melissa
"Melissa" is the name of a skull King Diamond used to carry on stage, and also a fictional deceased witch that appears in three songs. Before the recordings of the album Melissa, King Diamond had acquired a human skeleton that he named "Melissa". He used the femur bones to make his trademark microphone handle. The skull was apparently stolen during a show in the Netherlands.
The skull was inspiration behind the album Melissa, and the title track of the album is very different from the rest of the album, as it is much slower than the other songs (which are speedier and more aggressive). The lyrics tell of a male protagonist (usually identified as King Diamond himself by fans) who lost the love of his life, who was a witch who was burnt at the stake by a Catholic priest. The story builds itself up around the emotions of the protagonist, who first feels sadness and uncertainty, hope for her to still be alive, and then rage over his loss. He swears revenge on the priest who burnt her, proclaiming that he must die in the name of hell. The song ends with a whisper that hints Melissa's spirit is still with the protagonist.
The second song Melissa appears on is on the album Don't Break the Oath in the song "Come to the Sabbath", once again at the climax of the album. The lyrics tell about a Satanic coven holding a sabbath, in which the protagonist emerges to perform a ritual to "put an evil curse on the priest who took the life of Melissa". Though she is not the focus of the lyrics this time, because of her mention the song is known as a "Melissa song". Additionally, one of the main characters on the King Diamond's album Them was named "Missy", which is a common diminutive of Melissa.
The final song Melissa appears in is on Mercyful Fate's reunion album In the Shadows on the song "Is That You, Melissa?". The lyrics tell of the protagonist once again in sorrow about the loss of his love. He begins to hear her voice and goes to the coven to have them perform a ritual to speak with her ghost. The coven objects, saying that it is against the rules. The protagonist is visited by Melissa's spirit who shares a kiss with the protagonist. The subject of the song is argued by some; one side says the lyrics are not a continuation of the Melissa story but a tribute by the band to their past, while the other side sees it as the end of the Melissa story. It is widely accepted that she is the girl on the album cover of "In the Shadows" facing the old oak tree. After In the Shadows, Melissa has not been mentioned any more in both lyrics and artwork.
On August 1, 2019, it was announced that Mercyful Fate would be performing an unspecified number of concerts throughout Europe in the summer of 2020. The band's line-up consists of King Diamond on vocals, Hank Shermann on guitar, Bjarne T. Holm on drums, Mike Wead on guitar and Joey Vera on bass, the latter of whom was filling in for Timi Hansen, who was battling cancer; Vera then became their full-time bass player after Hansen died on November 4, 2019, shortly after his 61st birthday. Aside from previously released material, the band was also going to perform new songs over the course of the summer.
In a May 2020 interview with Heavy magazine, Shermann said that he had "written six or seven songs" for the band's new album. On June 2, 2022, Mercyful Fate performed their first live show since 1999 in Hanover as part of a European tour, where they debuted a brand new song titled "The Jackal of Salzburg"
IN 2022, Becky Baldwin, a British musician who has previously played with Fury, Triaxisand Control The Storm. filled in for regular bassist Joey Vera, who had scheduling conflicts with his longtime band Armored Saint.
Crossroads
Mercyful Fate Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You are Persephone, Queen of the Underworld
Hecate, darkness and terror of the night
Hecate, oh, the crossroads are thine
You are Diana, you are the hunter of souls
The dogs are howling, we dogs know when you approach
Let us ride with a beast tonight
Let us ride with a beast tonight, oh let us ride
At the crossroads, they buried criminals and suicides
At the crossroads, any traveler could lose a life
A suitable place, for making a pact with the Devil
A suitable place, for us to hold the sabbath
Let us ride with a beast tonight
Let us ride the crossroads
Let us ride with a beast tonight
Let us ride in the dead of night,
Even you mortals can ride with her at night
And join the night-flying demons, oh you and I
Listen to their tales of wandering ghosts
Listen to their tales of forgotten times
Listen to their tales of the crossroads
Listen to their tales of forgotten lives
Oh Diana
Hecate, darkness and terror of the night
Hecate, oh, the crossroads are thine
You are Diana, you are the hunter of souls
The dogs are howling, we dogs know when you approach
Let us ride with a beast tonight
Let us ride the crossroads
Let us ride with a beast tonight
Let us ride in the dead of night
To the crossroads, to the crossroads,
We ride to the crossroads, in search of your soul
We ride to the crossroads, in search of your soul
The song "Crossroads" by Mercyful Fate is a song that invokes mythological figures and the concept of the crossroads as a place of power where one can communicate with otherworldly beings. The lyrics mention Selene, the Greek goddess of the moon, Persephone, the queen of the underworld, and Hecate, the goddess of magic, witchcraft and ghosts who is associated with the crossroads. The lyrics also mention Diana, the Roman goddess of the hunt and the moon, emphasizing the connection between the moon and the dark forces invoked in the song. The howling of dogs is mentioned, as dogs were associated with Hecate and were believed to be able to sense supernatural beings.
The song also draws on the folklore surrounding crossroads, which were believed to be places of power and potential danger. Criminals and suicides were buried at crossroads, and travelers were warned to be cautious at night when passing through them. Crossroads were also believed to be places where one could make a pact with the devil and hold a Sabbat. The lyrics invoke the image of riding with a beast, which could be interpreted as a reference to the demonic or supernatural.
Overall, the lyrics of "Crossroads" convey the idea of seeking out the supernatural by traveling to a place of power and possibly making a pact with dark forces. The use of mythological and supernatural references and the ominous tone of the song create a sense of danger and mystery.
Line by Line Meaning
You are Selene, the moon in heaven
You are associated with the moon and stand high above us.
You are Persephone, Queen of the Underworld
You have power over the underworld and all that lies within.
Hecate, darkness and terror of the night
You are linked with darkness and the fear that comes with it.
Hecate, oh, the crossroads are thine
You have control over the crossroads and the fates of those who converge there.
You are Diana, you are the hunter of souls
You are a hunter of souls and the creatures who possess them.
The dogs are howling, we dogs know when you approach
The dogs can sense your presence and announce your approach.
Let us ride with a beast tonight
Let us join you and your creatures on a journey tonight.
Let us ride the crossroads
Let us converge at the intersection of fates and possibility.
At the crossroads, they buried criminals and suicides
The crossroads were the final resting place for those deemed unworthy of a proper burial.
At the crossroads, any traveler could lose a life
The crossroads were a dangerous place where anyone could meet their demise.
A suitable place, for making a pact with the Devil
The crossroads were a fitting location for making a deal with the devil.
A suitable place, for us to hold the sabbath
The crossroads were an ideal spot for us to gather and conduct our rituals.
Let us ride in the dead of night,
Let us embark on our journey under the cover of darkness.
Even you mortals can ride with her at night
Even mortals can join your nocturnal journey and experience the supernatural.
And join the night-flying demons, oh you and I
We can fly with you and the other demons of the night.
Listen to their tales of wandering ghosts
Listen to the stories of spirits who roam aimlessly.
Listen to their tales of forgotten times
Listen to the accounts of times long gone by.
Listen to their tales of the crossroads
Listen to the stories of events that took place at the intersection of fates.
Listen to their tales of forgotten lives
Listen to the stories of those who have been forgotten and left behind.
To the crossroads, to the crossroads,
Let us make our way to the intersection where our fates meet.
We ride to the crossroads, in search of your soul
We embark on our journey to the crossroads in pursuit of what lies within us.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Fintage House Publishing
Written by: KIM BENDIX PETERSEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Nikola Tesla
The way he belts out Hecate is so bad ass. 0:33
Jay Lynn
Epic!... Metal Royalty ! Bands like Metallica and Megadeth, as superb as they were in their prime, could only have dreamed of writing stuff of this quality. I don't care how reknowned, and how many more records they've sold, king Diamond and Mercyful Fate are superior. All hail !
Pedro Ferreira
I have the same opinion
Nanci Lank
This guys voice is damn sweet!
Paulo Furtado
"O Mestre"!!!
Don McGlothlin
Another great song and further evidence that this band belongs on a pedestal higher than anybody else in metal.
alessio zazzarino
best song on this album, great drumming on the hihats
CHAMAKO LOCO 1320
x3
𝗠𝗮𝘀𝗮 𝗠
alessio zazzarino i can't be more agree with that!
𝗠𝗮𝘀𝗮 𝗠
My favorite song in album and feel all times best Mercyful fate song ever, this is so fucking killer!